Hello! I'm Slanted Fish, the editor-in-chief and creator of the Poptropica Help Blog (PHB). I'm a writer, Hong Kong native, and Christ follower. My Poptropica username is slantedfish 🐠 Don't forget to be awesome!
Hey Poptropicans, this is a guest post by Dangerous Dragon. Enjoy!
Hey Poptropicans, hello from DD! As we know, a good Poptropica story often contains a villain. Take Goofball Island, which is coming out later. Though we haven’t really met him yet, Dr. Blandston sounds like quite the epic villain. From there to Hare… you name it. Poptropica is full of villains, and today, I’m going to make some theories on how they got to be that way! So what are these villains’ backstories? Keep reading!
Dr. Hare (24 Carrot Island): A bad day for the carrots
“Dr. Hare” by Fierce Flyer
What’s with this bad bunny? Dr. Hare was a good scientist! But what happened? Let’s say he used to work in the carrot factory making new flavours and facts. One day as he was working on an invention, that’s when things turned really bad… a routine radiation test took a turn when a rabbit hopped into the machine. Something happened… the man, the rabbit, and the radiator merged, and the radiation also made his mind… well, pea-brained!
Myron Van Buren (Survival Island): The scariest hunt
Oh well look who we have here: Myron Van Buren! Remember when your Poptropican was being hunted by this mean, scary old man?
Perhaps old MVB was tortured his whole life. So when he grew up, he decided he’d train harder than ever, so that no one could pick on him anymore. But his determination got the best of him. He started out hunting animals, but when that wasn’t enough, he turned to hunting people. He wanted to lash out at innocent Poptropicans too, and that’s how we find ourselves as his quarry!
Black Widow (Counterfeit Island): The power of art
“W O M A N” by Criaha
Oh no! It’s Black Widow! For her I am thinking “Jealous.”
I think that when she was little she was teased because she couldn’t create art. From the classroom to the playground, she was laughed at. This made her hate the beauty of art. Later, she would dress up to blend in with the posh art folks, and of course, that was all part of her plan to backstab the art community with her high profile thefts. Her disguise certainly worked on us at the Counterfeit museum! Oh how she used us.
Beware for your hair, here comes Director D! Like him, D’s parents were bald. On the island where he lived, bald people were looked down on. D and his family all had to wear toupees just to get their due respect! So when he was older, D joined the spy agency in hopes of training his skills so he could one day get his revenge. Too bad for him, his plans to turn the world bald were foiled by us!
That is it for this post, but before I go, I also want to give a thank you to Maggie — if you are reading this, thank you for mentioning me in your podcast, the Poptropicast! 😄
Let me know in the comments: who’s your favorite Poptropica villain and what’s their backstory? Step in their shoes for a second and imagine how they became the person they are!
Thank you and this is DD popping out! Keep popping, Poptropicans!
The Poptropica Help Blog welcomes interesting Poptropica insights from anyone in the Poptropica community with thoughts to share. Interested in writing for the PHB? We’d love to hear from you! 📰✨
Hey Poptropicans! In this post: the secrets of Poptropica Airways (aka Paradise Island), Billie Eilish, and a store update. Let’s pop right in.
Fans have been wondering about a sneak peek of Poptropica Airways posted by the Creators back in August. Although we’ve covered what became of it here on the PHB, the Creators themselves never mentioned it again — until now. In an interview with Poptropica guest blogger Invisible Ring, they finally put some questions to rest!
The main question, of course, is “What is Poptropica Airways?” To that, they answered that it was basically an experiment to help decide what features to develop on Poptropica.
Poptropica Airways, also known as Paradise Island, was a beta experience we created to understand what features players today would like to see in Poptropica. It allowed us to test a new experience for entering the game, news messages, plus daily tasks and rewards. These tests allow us to quickly see what new players are interested in so we know if new features would be a good fit in Poptropica. The news system from Poptropica Airways has already made it into the main game and more features are on their way!
Poptropica Creators’ Blog
Hmm, wonder what other features from Airways/Paradise Island they’ll try to implement into the game? Early perceptions of Paradise were not too favorable, with some players considering it to be an inferior copy of Animal Crossing. Paradise doesn’t seem to be available anymore, but you can read all about it on the PHB!
They go on to say that it’s separate from Poptropica Worlds, is not a new story-focused island, but rather “a new type of Home Island,” is not a station for accessing special islands, and will definitely not be replacing the iconic yellow blimp. You can read the full interview on the Creators’ Blog, and catch up with Invisible Ring on our Discord server, the PHC!
Also on the Creators’ Blog is a fresh Video of the Week! This time, it’s a quick clip from TikTok user @tony_torres38 drawing singer Billie Eilish as a Poptropica character. Looks just like her with the iconic neon green, doesn’t it? View the vid on the official blog!
Last but not least, the store’s been rearranged! Not much is new from before, but the Swan Ballerina and Little Demon costumes were added to the mix. Plus, check out all the fun items in the pet store as well. 🐶
That’s it for this post! Thanks for popping by, and see you in the next one. Stay awesome, Poptropicans. ✌️
Fun fact: Here on the PHB, we’ve floated around the idea of creating a Poptropicast, but it’s cool to see someone finally do it!
The Poptropicast speaks on both the history of Poptropica releases as well as the host’s personal experiences with the game. In the first episode, Maggie gives “A Short History of Poptropica,” and in the second, it’s all about “Reality TV Island” and its sequel, RTV: Wild Safari. Whether she’s describing lore like the celebrity parodies in Wild Safari, or sharing anecdotes like mispronouncing Poptropica’s name as a young child, you’ll enjoy hearing her perspectives on Poptropica!
The Poptropicast promises to go through and talk about each of the islands, so stay tuned! We’re definitely looking forward to where the blimp goes next on this podcast. Catch the Poptropicast on Anchor.fm!
Hey Poptropicans, this is a guest post from HfEvra, who will be discussing ideas for changes to classic islands should they get remade in Haxe. Enjoy!
Greetings, fellow humanoid creatures with unrealistic proportions who lack ears and noses! My name is HfEvra or Mess of a Being (or Messy Knuckle in-game) and I’m here today with a guest post about island stories.
Though the fandom at large seems to be disappointed by the changed gameplay of the first (and currently only) Haxe remaster, Mythology Island, its existence has made me hopeful that perhaps remastered islands could also have story changes in addition to gameplay changes. In this post, I’ll go over some of the story changes I’d like to see in future Haxe remasters. (Warning: Contains spoilers for Mission Atlantis, Super Villain, and Monster Carnival.) Without further ado, let’s begin!
#1: More on the aliens in Mission Atlantis
One of my biggest gripes about Mission Atlantis Island is how little we learn about the aliens of the story. Poptropica had already made an island about potential alien life (Lunar Colony) two years before the release of Mission Atlantis: Episode 3; and despite it being an island I have very mixed feelings about, I firmly believe that the story of Mission Atlantis pales in comparison.
The big reason for this is that in Mission Atlantis, the alien aspect seems to come out of left field with no prior build-up in episodes 1 & 2. It doesn’t seem really well thought-out, and feels a lot like it was just thrown into the story for no other reason than because the writers wanted to subvert the players’ expectations by having it so that an island called Mission Atlantis doesn’t even have an Atlantis.
At least in other mystery islands like Ghost Story and Steamworks, there was constant progress being made with the mystery. The more you played, the more questions were answered as to why everything is the way it is. The answers weren’t as blatant and in your face as islands like Mystery Train, but they were still there.
With Mission Atlantis, there’s barely any time for the alien mystery to be expanded on — we spend the entire second episode trying to find a way inside a mysterious underwater structure, and then spend the entire third episode trying to find a way out of it. We get a small slideshow near the end of the third episode, but even then, that slideshow doesn’t tell us much beyond the reveal that the fortress is of alien origin and has been underwater since before the continents were formed.
Zapped: A jarring circumstance for this little fella.
I understand that the reveal of the fortress being unrelated to Atlantis is meant to be a twist, but that doesn’t mean we can’t know a little more about the extraterrestrials to whom this vessel belonged. Sure, the artifacts and glyphs from Episode 2 are a start, but there are more ways to scatter clues throughout the story without having them instantly spoil the twist. After all, Super Villain and Mocktropica could leave a trail of clues; I’m certain Mission Atlantis could benefit greatly from it.
#2: The totems in Super Villain
Speaking of Super Villain Island, another story change which I’d love to see in a Haxe remaster is changing what the totems in the villains’ dreams are meant to represent.
The plot of Super Villain Island revolves around helping Dr. Jupiter by removing totems of evil from the minds of some of Poptropica’s most infamous villains in an attempt to bring them back to the light, only to find out that Dr. Jupiter is Zeus in disguise and that he wants to use the power of the totems to take over Poptropica. And though this isn’t necessarily a bad idea for a story, the plot suffers in its treatment of the totems less like a source of evil energy and more like a physical manifestation of a person’s dark side, which can simply be removed from a person’s mind with no immediate consequences.
Not only does Super Villain not at all address the aftermath of the totem removal and the (former) villains’ escape, it glosses over some other pretty important questions: Have these people been completely stripped of any and all evil? Is it possible for them to go back to villainy, or will they remain cleansed for all eternity? And if they truly are good now, what will happen with their former victims? Will they be obligated to forgive the people who have tried to ruin their lives?
The Big Sleep: A pirate just can’t get any rest around here.
Due to how the island immediately shifts all its attention to Zeus following the retrieval of all the totems, none of these questions are given so much as a passing mention. Not even the bonus quest gives us any answers — it’s basically a fetch quest that takes place in Zeus’ dreams. (By the way, is there any reason as to why the player can’t also just take out Zeus’ totem of evil and turn him into an ally? Wouldn’t it be very helpful to have the king of the gods on our side? Just saying.)
#3: The ending of Monster Carnival
Would you look at that? This month’s Island Flash-back actually found its way onto the list! And it’s for good reason.
If there is one thing that almost the entire fandom unanimously agrees on, it’s that the ending of Monster Carnival is extremely problematic due to the way it dehumanizes a man of color who was already treated as a literal monster by the narrative because of an aspect of himself that he had no control over. Although I do not fully agree with the idea that Ringmaster Raven did nothing wrong ever, I am of the opinion that the punishment is far too severe for the crime, especially considering how villains like the Shogun from Red Dragon and Scheherazade from Arabian Nights committed far worse crimes and got away scot-free.
I already made an entire video months ago talking about the messed up implications of Monster Carnival’s story, so I will not re-tread that ground. All I will say is that the way Monster Carnival went out of its way to give Ringmaster Raven one of the saddest backstories in the game and then stripped him of his free will to make him go through even more suffering is not okay. If I could change only one thing about Poptropica, it would be Monster Carnival’s ending.
Spread Your Wings: And fly on out of here, or you’ll be sorry.
(Thankfully, it does seem that the creators are aware of the community’s view of Monster Carnival, as evidenced by the Q&A with the CEO back in November. Does this mean that justice will finally be served after seven years? Fingers crossed!)
Hope you enjoyed this guest post by HfEvra (Mess of a Being). If you did, you might also enjoy other posts in our Pop Petition series.
The Poptropica Help Blog welcomes interesting Poptropica insights from anyone in the Poptropica community with thoughts to share. Interested in writing for the PHB? We’d love to hear from you! 📰✨
Hey Poptropicans, this is a guest post by Dangerous Dragon. Enjoy!
Hey everyone, it’s DD! In support of this month’s Island Flash-back, we’re going to be looking at why Ringmaster Raven from Monster Carnival Islanddeserved better.
You may remember him as the “villain” of Monster Carnival, known in his early life as Bird Boy. The Ringmaster’s life was very sad, and it led him to do some bad things, but he also did things for good!
To really get to know his story, and how he got to where he did, let’s look back and see how people were treating him when he was younger…
It looks bad, doesn’t it? Poor Bird Boy. People weren’t helping him, but instead making him run away! What a sad story…
Although he later tried to ruin the town, he did also help them by bringing Dr. Dan out of hiding! This also showed that the people of the town loved Dr. Dan, as they happily came to him at the roller coaster. If I were Dr. Dan and I had finished the cure, I would give it to Raven. Wouldn’t that be nice?
Raven also made the town realise what they had done! This is a very sad island, isn’t it? (But it was also kind of funny seeing him as a Chicken Man…) Still, he had his boss moments too, especially when he turned the carnies into monsters, and used his machine to send Edgar to hypnotize us. Yikes!
Anyway, show your support for Monster Carnival Island and especially Ringmaster Raven this month with fan art, writing, videos, and more! Let’s show the creators that we want this island back, and this time with Raven getting justice. Let’s get moving!
Before you go, share your thoughts in the comments! How should Raven be welcomed by the townspeople if this island returns? Do you think Dr. Dan and Ringmaster Raven were related? What do you think would’ve happened if Bird Boy hadn’t been mocked and exiled?
That’s it for now, DD popping out! Keep popping, Poptropicans!
The Poptropica Help Blog welcomes interesting Poptropica insights from anyone in the Poptropica community with thoughts to share. Interested in writing for the PHB? We’d love to hear from you! 📰✨
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